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Today’s post will be another quick, easy recipe however if you don’t already, you may think I’m crazy because I ate the whole thing. That should have been my yearbook quote…

To begin, I am a woman that eats until I’m full. I do not believe in calorie counting and portion control. I believe in listening to your body and not restricting yourself because it often leads into an internal emotional hell and self-loathing. Do you think that conclusion is extreme? I don’t. It’s ludicrous to go through such extraordinary lengths to calculate your calories, fats, carbs, macro’s, whatever’s in a day because it’s time consuming and it turns into an obsession. If you enjoy doing this and you don’t find yourself thinking about food 24/7 – all the power to you! But I know myself, and that for me is a recipe for disaster.

Lately I have been keeping my recipes simple, sticking to large servings of delicious green smoothies and mono meal the evenings. So far, I am happy with this regime and I don’t find myself eating out of boredom. I eat when my body tells me and keep it relatively simple. This isn’t for everyone; it works for me and I feel healthy and happy.

The reason for this discussion is because I am entering a bikini contest in June. That’s right! I have 15 weeks to take care of my body, work hard at the gym and have the opportunity to commit to this challenge seriously. Besides, it’s just in time for bikini season ;).

It’s a little more junior compared to the pro competitions but should be an interesting journey nontheless. I am not aiming to win or do competitions after this so I am going to do my best to keep a healthy attitude towards this to meet my goals. It will be challenging but I have support and 3 cheat meals at my favourite restaurants over the next 15 weeks – yay!

I am not going to go the route of portion-control. I am going to try something different than that so I can keep myself motivated. I am the kind of person where if I give myself food restrictions, I will end up binging a few weeks later. I want to treat my body right and with respect. My diet will be high carb, low-no sodium and low fat (I will be sure to include the healthy fats a couple of times a week, of course). If there’s anything my body thrives on, it is greens and carbs which makes me a very happy, energetic and strong girl! If anyone has any suggestions, I’m open to it!

Anyways, I have posted a recipe below that could serve 3 – 4 people; however I made all of it for myself… so that is why you might think I’m crazy as mentioned earlier. I’m not crazy, I eat simple foods that optimize my digestion and make me feel satisfied. This works for me; to reiterate I will not suggest anyone to experiment with this based on my word as I am not a professional. I make posts based on my experiences.

Anyways, if you get around to try this recipe; it’s low sodium, no added salt, high in carbs and low fat… and yummy!

Potato Marinara

Serves 3

3 golden yukon potatoes, peeled/unpeeled, your choice.

2 large ripe tomatoes

4 tablespoons Hunt’s pure tomato paste

1/2 onion, diced

3 large mushrooms, sliced

1 red bell pepper, diced

handful of leafy greens such as arugula, spinach and/or kale

4 cloves of garlic (2 minced)

crushed chilli peppers

pepper

sea salt, if desired.

Bring water to a boil and steam the potatoes (poke some holes in those bad boys) with two whole garlic cloves.

In the mean while heat a nonstick pan on medium-high and toss in tomatoes and cover for a minute. When the tomato becomes soft, add the remainder of the garlic (minced) and tomato paste and stir. Cover once again for a minute or two. Stir the mixture and pour in the onions and mushrooms. Keep stirring as the water in the sauce becomes less and less. Add red peppers and cover on low heat. Allow this to simmer for a few minutes so that the peppers soften (not completely).

As the potatoes become more tender, finally stir in the greens into the sauce. Mix until they shrink. Cover and remove from heat.

Prepare the potatoes as you wished.. just diced them and poured the sauce over.

Yes, I ate the entire thing.

Was I satisfied, yes? Was I overstuffed and fatigued after? No. Was this a healthy choice? Absolutely :).

Just because I ate everything, doesn’t mean I encourage others to do the same. This works with my body and my fitness regime. I also do not eat potatoes everyday, or every week for that matter. Listen to what your body wants and if it feels like you’re either overindulging or this is what your body actually needs at this moment. If you end up meeting everything, great! You didn’t do anything wrong for eating 3 potatoes; we’ve been conditioned to think so but if you’re hungry and it’s what you want – eat your heart out with the right choices.

If you must know… The total nutritional information for all three servings:

Calories: 463

Fat: 1.3g

Saturated/Poly: 0.2

Sodium: 78.9 mg (amazing!)

Carbs: 105.9g

Fiber: 11.7g

Sugars (natural): 17/1g

Protein: 15.7g

Calcium: 17g

I know there’s no salt, but give a tomato marinara a chance with your own preferred variation – you’ll find yourself delightfully surprised at how much you enjoy it without the extra sodium :).